Analyzing Your Server Log

Summary of Steps

1. Determine the filename, filetype, and filemode of the console log you want to convert to a server log.
2. Run the VIWLOGEX utility to convert the console log to a CERN/NCSA-format server log.
3. Analyze the server log.

Steps in Detail

1. Determine the filename, filetype, and filemode of the console log you want to convert to a server log.

2. Run the VIWLOGEX utility to convert the console log to a CERN/NCSA-format server log (also known as common logfile format).

   You must specify the filename, filetype, and filemode of the console file as input to the VIWLOGEX utility. You can specify a filename, filetype, and filemode for the output file as well if you want. By default, VM:Webgateway writes the server log information to an output file whose filename and filemode are the same as those for the input console file's and whose filetype is CERNLOG.

   If you want to append the server log information from the console file to an existing output file, specify the APPEND option.

3. Analyze the server log.

   The server log contains a record of all requests for data from your web server. From its contents you can determine information such as:

   • Which pages are served most frequently
   • Who is accessing pages
   • From which host computers requestors have issued invalid passwords

   You can analyze the server log manually or use freeware, shareware, or low-cost programs to provide a detailed use analysis. These programs are available on the World Wide Web.

   Anaylze the server log for:

   Performance Tuning

   For example, determine which files are served frequently to specific users. Instruct these users to turn on their web browser's caching so pages are requested less often.

   Marketing

   Gather demographic information about who is visiting your site, for example, their countries and organizations. This can help you to determine where to target marketing efforts.

   Security

   If you are receiving an unusually large number of invalid requests from a particular host computer, perhaps you need to use access control.